Air conditioning apparatus



Jan. 5, 1937. 1.. s. KEILHOLTZ ET AL AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR5.

ATTO EY.

Jan. 5, 1937. s. KEILHOLTZ ET AL 2,066,689

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Detroit, Mich., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Borg-Warner Corporation, a. corporation of Illinois Application January 19, 1934, Serial No. 707,294

1 Claim.

This invention relates to air conditioning and particularly to improvements in apparatus of a semi-portable type for humidifying, circulating and purifying the air of enclosed spaces such as rooms, homes and ofiices.

This invention has particular reference to relatively small units adaptable for use in homes and oilices and the parts of which are compactly arranged so that the unit occupies a. very small amount of space and so that the unit can be placed into use with very little installation expense and which does not require any alterations or modifications of the room in which such a device might be installed.

This invention has as a principal object thereof the provision of an air conditioning unit provided with a spray nozzle and means serving as a support therefor, said means serving also as a means for disposing of the nozzle drippings toward the casing walls, and adapted to be used in conjunction with the means now normally provided in homes and oflices for heating and ventilating.

This invention contemplates the provision of a unitary structure comprising a casing providing a spray chamber, means for supplying water to the spray chamber wherein the water is atomized, means for supporting an ordinary spray nozzle which is used in an air conditioning unit, said means also serving as a disposing means for unatomized water which has collected upon the spray nozzle, and any other apparatus which is ordinarily used in. an air conditioning unit.

An object of this invention, therefore, is the provision of a semi-portable unit air conditioning apparatus which is practically adaptable for universal installation, and which is provided with means for preventing unatomized water from being discharged into the area being conditioned.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an air conditioning unit in which the parts thereof are compactly and conveniently arranged for assembling in manufacture and disassembling for periodic cleaning purposes.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification taken in.

connection with the drawings, of which there are two sheets and in which:

Fig. 1 is a more or' less diagrammatic view of a typical installation of a device embodying the inventions herein disclosed;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of a device embracing the invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of an apparatus embracing the invention and illustrating certain particulars thereof in detail;

Fig. 4 is a more or less diagrammatic view of the blower motor speed controlmeans and the wiring connection for the unit; 5

Fig. 5 is a horizontal partial sectional view of the air inlet filter taken generally on the line 55 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the air inlet filter and taken in a plane on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the air inlet filter, taken on the line of Fig. 3.

Referring now particularly to Fig. l of the 15 drawings, there is shown, for the purposes of illustration, a diagrammatic view of a type of installation of an air conditioning unit embrac ing the inventions herein disclosed and in which a unit I2 is shown mounted upon the floor of a 20 room and having an electrical conduit l4 connected to any suitablesource of electrical energy such as an electric outlet IS, a control knob l8 for regulating the speedof the blower motor, a water feed pipe 20 connectedto a source of cold water 22 and a source of hot water 24, and a waste water pipe 26 for carrying excess water to any suitable drain. The hot water may be supplied by any suitable means such as an indirect heater 28 of any well known construction 30 and which is shown as associated with a steam plant 30 below the water line thereof. The temperature of the feed water passing through pipe 20 may be determined by a thermometer 32 disposed in a well 33 and may be varied by adjustment of valves 34 disposed in the hot and cold water supply lines. The waste water pipe 26 may be provided with an overflow T 36 to permit the escape of water from the unit in the event the waste water pipe 26 becomes clogged below the level of the T 36.

The unit l2 in general comprises an inner casing 38 affording a spray chamber, and to the lower end of which leg brackets 40 may suitably be secured for supporting the same upon a fioor surface, a blower assembly 42 disposed in an upper forward portion of the inner casing 38v and for creating a circulation of air therethrough, and sound-absorbing filter boxes 44 disposed one on each side of the inner casing 38 and providing air inlet passageways to the blower assembly 42, an outlet hood 46 of sound-absorbing material disposed above the inner casing 38 and providing a series of passageways between the discharge outlet of the casing 38 and a grilled opening afforded in the upper portion of an outer casing 48 which is adapted to envelop the inner casing and the controls therefor, and a rheostat 58 connected in series with the blower motor for controlling the speed thereof.

The feed water pipe 28 is connected to a water strainer 54 disposed beneath the casing 38 and between the leg brackets 48 from whence the water is conducted to a pressure regulating valve 58 and then to a standpipe 58 disposed within the casing 38 extending upwardly and rearwardly from a central forward portion of the bottom of the casing 38 to a point approximately midway of the walls of the casing 38 where it is provided with a spray nozzle 88 which is adapted to create a conical-shaped spray about the standpipe 58 as an axis and within the bottom portion of the casing 38.

Water is supplied to the spray nozzle 68 under pressure, which may be varied, where a stream of water is directed against a target 82 having a concave end surface which is adapted to reverse the direction of flow of the water and create a conical-shaped film which at its outer edges bursts into a fine spray of liquid particles within the bottom of the casing 38. The target 82 on the spray nozzle, which is the center of the region of formation of the spray is spaced from the walls of the casing 38 so that the spray strikes the same at least a certain minimum distance from the region of formation whereby the pressure of the feed water is considerably spent before it contacts the walls of the inner casing 38, as a result of which a minimum of noise is created.

For the purpose of securing the location of the nozzle 88 within the casing 38, a brace 88 secured to the bottom of the casing 38 is connected to a portion of the spray nozzle 68 and also serves as a drip guide therefor to eliminate the dripping of water from the spray nozzle which normally would create considerable objectionable noise as a result of the impingement of drops of water upon the bottom of the metallic casing 38.

The blower assembly 42 is disposed within an upper forward portion of the casing 38 .and in general comprises laterally spaced blower housings 88 mounted upon a sloping plate I8 which is adapted to rest upon brackets 12 provided by the front and side walls of the casing 38 and by a transverse wall 14 extending from side to side of the casing 38 and disposed to the rear of the median plane thereof. The housings 88 are provided with openings at their lower ends which register with openings provided in plate 18 whereby air is discharged downwardly into the casing 38 along the front wall thereof and forwardly of the spray nozzle 88, where the air enters the region of the conical spray formation, is reversed in its direction of flow by the curved bottom of the casing 38 and flows upwardly along the rear wall of the casing 38 and rearwardly of the spray nozzle 88 where it passes out of the region of the spray and between the rear wall of the casing 38 and transverse wall 14. In passing through the casing 38, the air is passed across the spray as a result of which dirt entrained in the air is precipitated out of the air current and washed with the surplus water into a drain I8 open to the bottom of the casing 38' and connected with the waste pipe 28.

An electric motor 18 having a shaft 88 extending from each end thereof is resiliently mounted in floating rubber bushings 82 carried by flexible supporting arms 84 which are fixedly secured to the sloping panel 18 and between the blower housing 88. Each end of the motor shaft 88 extends within one of the blower housings 88 and has secured thereto a blowerwheel 88 which, upon rotation, are adapted todischarge a blast of air downwardly and out of the blower casing 88 into the region of the inner casing 38 forwardly of the spray nozzle 88 and along the front wall. The blower wheels 88 at their periphery are provided with a plurality of arcuate forwardly extending blades 81 and at the end farthest removed from the motor 18 are open for drawing into the housing 88 a stream of air through an opening 88 therein, which openings coincide with openings 88 provided in'the side walls of the inner casing-38 and which lead to the interior of the sound-absorbing air filter boxes 44 which at their opposite ends are in communication with atmosphere adjacent the lower portion of the unit l2. Both sides of the blower housing 88 adiacent the electric motor I8 are closed by disk members 82 through which the motor shaft 88 extends, so that in assembly the blower wheels 88 may be mounted upon the motor shaft 88 and then introduced into the blower housings 88 through the openings which the disk .member 82 is adapted to close. The top of the blower housing compartment is provided with a plate 84 which closes that space enclosed between wall 14, the front wall of casing 38, and the side walls thereof.

The sound-absorbing air filter boxes 44 may be constructed of suitable slabs of sound-absorbing soft fibrous material and shaped to form a rectangular box, open at one end. Each of the boxes 44 is provided with circular openings 88 in one wall thereof which are adapted to coincide with openings 88 provided in the inner casing 38 so that air may enter the casing 38 along the path indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2 through the open end of the box 44, the opening 98 in the inner casing 38, and the blower housings 88 where the air is discharged downwardly through the openings in the sloping plate 18 into the spray chamber. The sound-absorbing inlet boxes 44 may be secured to the sides of the casing 38 by sheet metal clips 88 which are bolted to the side walls of the casing 38. These clips 88 are so arranged that the boxes 44 may readily be removed from and replaced on the unit for periodic cleaning purposes. 'The surface of the air passageway provided by the sound-absorbing box 44 preferably is rough, to aid in deadening the noises attending the flow of air as well as to assist in filtering the air by precipitating fine particles of dirt.

In each of the sound-absorbing air inlet boxes 44, there is removably disposed a low resistance filter 88 having a relatively large surface area and for removing from the air prior to its entry into the casing 38 the sticky, sooty, dirt commonly entrained in air. The air inlet filters 38 comprise V-shaped frames having spaced-apart channel members I88 and I82 in frictional engagement with the inner side walls of inlet boxes 44 and between which frame members a strip of screening material I 84 is folded back upon itself along the frame from one end thereof to the other and the folds of which are spaced from each other. The side edges of the screening material I84 lie within the -channel portion of the frame members I88 and I82 and in that way the passage of air around the screening material is prevented. The frame of the filter is adapted snugly to fit between the opposite side walls of the air inlet boxes 44 so that no air may pass between the frame and the walls of the air inlet boxes 44. The screening material may be secured to the channel members I00 and I02 as by soldering at every few turns. The spaced-apart ends of the V-frame may be connected by angle iron frame members I08 which are adapted to overlie the edges of the air inlet boxes 44 for the purpose of positioning the filter within the air inlet box. The apex of the filter frame terminates slightly below the circular openings 89 leading to the openings 88 and 90.

In passing through the filter, the air is deflected so as .to pass more or less laterally through the filter material at an unobstructed .portion thereof, such as the bends on the inside of the filter, while the particles of foreign matter tend to precipitate themselves out of the air stream, as the same is deflected, by collecting upon the outside folds of the filter material which offers a substantially high resistance to the passage of the same therethrough.

The electric motor I8 is connected in series with a rheostat 50 which is fixedly secured to a front wall portion of the inner casing 38 forwardly of the motor 18 and may be provided with a shaft IIO for extending through an aper- 'discharged from the blower housings 88, with the result that the volume of air passed through the unit may be increased or decreased by controlling the speed of the motor. Since the unit is adapted for use in a. substantially enclosed space, it will be apparent that the relative humidity of the air within the enclosed space can be changed or controlled by regulating the quantity of air which passes through the unit. It, of course, willbe understood that the air discharged from the blower housings and passed through the water spray will evaporate a substantial amount of water, depending upon such factors as water temperature, water pressure and the diameter of the spray nozzle water orifice. In the unit disclosed in the drawings, the pressure regulating valve 56 may be adjusted for varying the pressure with which water is delivered to the spray nozzle, as may the temperature of the water be controlled by adjustment of the valves 34.

After the air passes upwardly out of the spray region along the rear wall of the casing 38, it passes rearwardly of transverse wall 14 where a free moisture eliminator and scrubber plate H2 is disposed for removing free moisture and dirt from the air currents by precipitation. It will The upper portion of the unit is provided with a sound-absorbing outlet box 48 which comprises a sheet metal housing I I4 suitably secured above the casing 38 and enclosing'a box constructed of sound-absorbing material which is adapted to provide a plurality of passageways II8 between the discharge outlet of the casing 38 and an opening I I8 provided in an upper portion of the outer casing 48. The opening 'II8 may be provided with a grille I20 secured to the casing 48 by de-- pending flanges I22. The housing I I4 is provided with an opening below the grille I20 and which opening may be of reduced cross sectional area for the purpose of increasing the velocity of the air as it is discharged from the unit.

The passageways II8 are formed between slabs I24 of sound-absorbing material, which are spaced apart at their edges by strips of similar material I28 to form a more or less tortuous passageway or outlet from the inner casing which assists in preventing the transmission of noises resulting from the operation of the unit outside of the same. The slabs I24 of sound-absorbing material, as well as the strips I28, may be secured together in a suitable manner such as by gluing and pinning, so that the housing H4 and the box 46 may be removed as a unit. After the air discharged from the outlet box 48 leaves the opening provided in the hood II4, it passes through the grille, which may be used for the purpose of controlling the direction in which the air is discharged into the enclosed space.

In order to prevent stratification of the enclosed air, it is desirable that the air discharged from the unit be deflected upwardly in such a manner that it effects a gentle circulation of the enclosed air which is further aided by the suction of air in through the opening provided in the inlet boxes 44 adjacent the lower portion of the unit.

While several specific embodiments of, our in- .vention have been illustrated and described, it

must be appreciated that many modifications may be made in the construction thereof without departing from the scope of the invention, and for that reason we do not desire to be limited to any particular form or arrangement except in'so far as such limitations are included in the following claim:

We claim:- v

In an air conditioning unit, the combination of a casing affording a spray chamber with a spray nozzle disposed within said chamber and adapted to create a spray formation'therein, a feed water conduit for supplying water to said spray nozzle, and a brace connected to said casing and to said spray nozzle for securing the nozzle against accidental displacement, said brace affording a means for conveying water collecting upon said spray nozzle to a point adjacent the inner walls 0 of said casing;

Y LESTER S. KEILHOLTZ.

LE ,ROY A. VOLBERDING. 

